Former NBA player Doug Overton named as head coach of Springfield Armor

Newly-hired Springfield Armor coach Doug Overton displays his form while playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, one of eight teams he played for during an 11-year NBA career.Photo by Noah Graham (NBAE/Getty Images)

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Armor have named former NBA player Doug Overton as their next coach.

Overton has been an assistant with the Nets since 2008, and has been player development coach since the 2010-11 season.

"There are a whole lot of exciting things going on in Brooklyn this year, so I better make it even more exciting in Springfield,'' Overton said. "We'll have to work on finding new Paul Pierces and Kevin Garnetts.

"I have been part of the Nets as a player and it's been an exciting time now to be a coach in the organization.''

The Philadelphia native and La Salle University great replaces Bob MacKinnon, who resigned earlier this summer after two seasons with the Armor. MacKinnon was hired in the same capacity with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

The Armor went 18-32 last season after a trip to the playoffs in 2011-12.

"The organization has put a lot of trust in me to help them try to build championship teams,'' Overton said. "And it's going to help my relationship with players that I played in the CBA, in the minor leagues. I know what they are going through.''

"I played against some great players, played for coaches like Chuck Daly, Larry Brown, Wes Unseld and Rick Pitino,'' Overton said. "I have a great passion for basketball, and over time, you grow into who you are. And hopefully I can use that to benefit the development of our players and the franchise.''

Springfield Armor coach Doug Overton

The 6-foot-3 former point guard was a second-round pick of the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 draft.

"I'll coach like I played,'' Overton said. "You have to scratch, claw and fight for everything. You have to go hard every play, every day.''

The D-League draft is the first week of November and training camp starts the following week. The schedule for the regular season, which starts in late November, will be released next month.

"We're going to get going on this, working with the staff and (Nets general manager of minor league operations) Milton Lee,'' Overton said.

Overton confirmed that assistant coach Chris Carrawell will be retained.